Car-coupling



(No Model.)

B. STEWART.

GAR COUPLING. No. 453,518. Patented June 2, 1891.

INVENTOI? ATTORNEYS UNiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMORE STEXVART, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,518, dated June 2, 1891.

' Application filed November 19, 1890. Serial No. 371,894. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMORE STEWART, of San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented a new and useful Car-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings of the link-and-pin type, and has for its object to provide a simple and convenient coupling of the class named, which will hold a coupling-link extended to engage another coupling and also retain the coupling-pin in elevated adjustment until its support is impinged upon by an approaching link, when a connection of the pin and link will be effected by gravity.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figurelisaside elevation of adjacent ends of two cars having the improved couplings thereon in coupled condition, one coupling 136-; ing broken away longitudinally on the line 1 1 in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the devices shown in Fig. 1, partly in section,taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the improved coupling having a pin-latch on it that will lock the coupling pin in elevated or depressed adjustment. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the coupling-pin, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the coupling with the pin-lifter broken and the pin elevated.

The draw-head A is preferably cast into form and consists of an elongated block substantially square in cross-section and internally recessed from the front end toward the rear end a proper distance, the front end of the four walls afforded by the recess A being outwardly flared to facilitate the insertion of the coupling-link B.

As represented in Fig. 1, the lower wall a of the draw-head A is forwardly and downwardly inclined to a point ta which is near the flaring edge of said lower wall, at which point an upward inclination of the bottom wall and a cup-shaped depression is produced, thereby forming a seat for the arrest of a spherical ball 0, that is placed in the draw-head cavity B and rests and rolls in a longitudinal channel a, formed in the lower wall of the draw-head.

Preferably the ball C is made of steel and is given such a proportionate diameter to the dimensions of the recess or cavity A that it will roll in the channel a, as stated, and when free to do so will locate in the cup-shaped depression a the further outward movement of the ball being prevented by the cross-bar a which is bolted on the inside of the drawhead throat above the cupped cavity a Near the front end of the draw-head A a guide-boXD is vertically erected on its top wall, through which boX and the top wall of the draw-head is a longitudinal oval passage (1, the sidewalls of which passage or aperture are parallel with the side walls of the draw-head and adapted to loosely receive between them a coupling-pin. As shown, the coupling-pin E is formed with a heavier upper portion 0, adapted to fit and slide in the guide-box D. From the forward edge of the portion 0 of the coupling-pin E a cylindrical depending bolte is projected downward a proper length to serve as a locking connection for a couplinglink, said part c forming the coupling-pin proper, while the upper part serves as a guide and a gravityblock, which, having an impinging contact at c with an inserted link B when in lowered adjustment, will hold the link projected horizontally to enter a similar draw-head, the pin passing through the link and also through an aligning orifice made in the lower wall a of the draw-head, as shown in Fig. 1.

One side wall of the guide-box D is vertically slotted at d, forming a slideway for the free reciprocation therein of a limb 0 that is projected from the side of the coupling-pin E at or near its upper end, said limb extending outwardly from the guide-box a sufficient distance to be engaged by a lifter F.

The preferred form for the pin-lifter F consists of an arm having a rectangular loop g formed on its free end, which loop portion is placed over the projecting limb 0 the other end of the pin-lifter being provided with a laterally-perforated hub 71-, that is adjustably secured on a transverse sh aft G, which is journaled in boxes that are affixed to the front end of a car H, \vhereon the coupling is placed, a lever I, that is secured on the end of the shaft at the side of the car, affording means to rock the shaft and vibrate the lifter F. The loop portion 9 of the pin-lifter is nearly square, and is so bent as to incline its side bar 9' slightly forward and downward when the pinlimb c is lowered fully and rests near a corner of the loop, so that theupward movement of the lifter F will cause the limb c and the attached coupling-pin E to slide upwardly and assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. On the upper bar of the loop g a lateral bend is formed in it, as at g in Fig. 5, said bend having sucha relative position with regard to the limb c that the latter will slide through the side bent portion g when the lifter F is fully raised and the coupling-pin E is slid upwardly to remove it from the guide-box D. p 7

It will be seen by an inspection of the dotted lines in Fig. 1 that when the coupling-pin E is fully elevated the limb 0 will be prevented from moving downwardly if the pinlifter F is retainedin the position shown,and when this locked elevation of the couplingpin is desired the lever I is held in lowered adjustment by a latching engagement with it of the pivoted dog '5, as represented in the same figure. I

In operation, if the leverI is depressed and the coupling-pin thereby elevated, the ball 0 will by its gravity roll into the cup-shaped cavity 0. below the pin-bolt e, and the relaxation of pressure on the lever will locate the coupling 'pin uponthe ball. Assumingthat thecoupling-link B is supported in a horizontal plane 7 by its engagement with a depressed coupling-pin on a similar coupling, as has been explained, it is evident that the entrance of the link will push the ball 0 rearwardly and allow a coupling-pin E that has been supported by it to fall and couple the link to the draw-head.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a latch-piece J, pivoted to the slotted side of the guide-box D, which may be used with the pin-lifter F, or separately, as may be preferred, it having a hook it on one edge, which is so shaped that when the pin E is raised said hook may be adjusted to afford a support for the pin-limb 0 the weight of the pin causing the latchpiece to lock fast and prevent a depression of the pin until it is designedly released, and as a further means for securing the couplingpin from lifting above the top surface of the guide-box D a keeper-plate m is pivoted thereon in such a position that it may be slid over the top of the coupling-pin and bear on it when the parts are adjust-ed, as shown in Fi 3.

when the coupling-pin is to be released from the latch-hook k, the keepenplate m is moved to open the top of the passage in the guide-box I), when the rocking movement of the latch-piece toward the car-body will lift the pin and disengage it to fall on the ball 0.

stasis After a coupling has been efiected between two cars having the improved couplings herein described the coupling-pins E may be locked in depressed adjustment by causing the crotched portions n on the latch-pieces J to impinge upon the limbs c of the couplingpins, which will occupy a position below said crotched portions and in vertical alignment with them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Ina car-coupling, the combination, with a forwardly-recessed draw-head having an inner inclined lower surface and an upright guide-box that is adapted to receive and looselysupport a heavy sliding coupling-pin, of a ball in the draw head, a heavy pin in the guide-box, having a lateral limb which projects through a slot in the guide-bonand a pin-lifter device which can beoperated from the side of the car, substantially as set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a forwardly recessed draw-head having an inclined surface on the upper face of its lower wall, a channel therein, and a cupped cavity at the front of the channel, a ball inthe drawhead adapted to roll in thechannel, a cross bar on the top wall of the draw-head recess, which will retain, the ball in the draw-head, and a vertical guide-box on the draw head, the passage in which intersects the drawhead cavity and is laterally intersected by a slot in the side wall of the guide box, of a coup ling-pin having a heavy head that loosely fits the passage in the box and has a depending pin on it and a lateral limb which will slide in the slot of the guide-box, and a lifter which will raise the pin when actuated froin'the side of a car, substantially as set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination,with a recessed draw head, a guide-box thereon, a heavy pin in the box, and a ball in the drawhead, on which the pin may rest, of a pin-lifter arm having a rectangular loop-shaped free end which is loosely engaged with a lateral limb on the coupling-pin, a rock-shaft on the car which the lifter-arm projects from and a lever on the rock-shaft which may be manipulated at the side of the car, substantially as set forth.

4. In acar-coupling, the combination, with a forwardly-recessed draw-head the inner lower surface of which is forwardly and downwardly inclined and has a longitudinal channel and cupped cavity therein, a cross-bar above the cavity, a spherical ball within the draw-head,a heavy coupling pin which slides in a vertical guide-box on the draw-head, and a guide-box on the draw-head near its front end, which is apertured longitudinally and slotted through one side vertically, of a coupling-pin having its head portion formed to slide in the guide-box and provided with a lateral limb on the head portion and a depending cylindrical bolt on the lower part of the head aligningwith its front edge, a liftingarm that is adapted to raise the coupling-pin, and a latch-piece pivoted on the side of the guide-box, which latch-piece may be made to hold the pin elevated or depressed, substantially as set forth.

5. A coupling-pin for a car-coupling having a heavy head which has fiat parallel sides, a lateral limb near the upper end, and a depending cylindrical pin or bolt projected from the head in alignment with one edge, leaving a portion of the head projecting from the pin to rest upon a coupling-link and hold it extended in a plane at a right angle to the pin, substantially as set forth.

6. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head having a recess in the forward portion of its body, a spherical ball within ELMORE STEXVART.

Witnesses:

EDWARD BANNISTER, J OHN D. PALMER. 

